Thursday, September 5, 2013

Osteoarthritis Pain Relieved by Viscosupplementation

Aging affects everyone
differently. Some people live well into their eighth and ninth decades without experiencing
anything more serious than a few aches or pains, while others start to feel the
impact of years of use on their joints as early as their 30s and 40s. Osteoarthritis,
also known as “wear-and-tear” arthritis, is one of the most common ailments of
older adults — more than 27 million people live with some form of the
disease — and it’s most common in the weight-bearing joints, particularly the
knees and lower spine.

While
osteoarthritis is technically a breakdown of the cartilage of the joints — as
the cartilage stiffens, it wears down like a tire tread and causes swelling and
— it is associated with a loss of water content in the cartilage and also a
loss of the hyaluronic acid lubricant in the synovial (joint) fluid surrounding
the joints. This thick fluid helps to serve as a shock absorber, lubricating
the joint so that the bones can move more smoothly over each other. Lacking
this vital fluid, and combined with the breakdown of the cartilage, in time the
cartilage wears done leading to bone on bone contact which at the end can cause
debilitating pain. During the early stages of osteoarthritis, treatment often
consists of over-the-counter pain relievers, anti-inflammatory medications, reduced
activity and physical therapy. However, there is another treatment that can be
effective for managing the symptoms of osteoarthritis: viscosupplementation.

Viscosupplementation Basics

While
some osteoarthritis sufferers respond to corticosteroid treatment, those drugs
are generally reserved for rheumatoid arthritis patients who need relief from
the pain and inflammation caused by their immune systems attacking their
joints. While corticosteroid treatment
is very effective in reducing pain and swelling early on, it may also weaken
the cartilage and add to the wear of the cartilage over time, especially if
given on a repetitive basis.

As
an alternative osteoarthritis patients may respond favorably to
viscosupplementation (injections of the hyaluronic acid that is lost due to the
disease’s progression). With this treatment, approximately every six months the
patient receives an injection of the hyaluronic acid directly into the site
(most commonly the knee). Within a few days to weeks of the injection, the
patient typically has less pain and a greater functional range of motion.

Viscosupplementation
is generally most effective with patients who are in the early stages of
osteoarthritis but who aren’t responding well to the traditional treatments.
While the treatment will not replace cartilage that has been lost to time, some
evidence shows the injections encourage the body to produce more hyaluronic
acid. This, in turn, can help reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Important Considerations

Viscosupplementation
has helped thousands of osteoarthritis patients find relief from their pain,
but it’s not effective for everyone. Also, the injections do not provide
immediate pain relief — it can take up to a few weeks for the benefits to be
noticeable — and there can be some redness, pain and swelling at the local
injection site immediately after the treatment. In some cases, the injections
can cause increased pain and swelling, and very rarely the complication of infection.
Patients who are considering the treatment will have the opportunity to discuss
with a medical professional the benefits and risks that are associated with
viscosupplementation.

Osteoarthritis,
when left untreated, is painful and can seriously impact a person’s quality of
life. Anyone looking for relief from the pain and stiffness should talk with their
doctor about viscosupplementation and how it may improve their condition.